


The Arrival

by Flantastic



Series: The Surprises [3]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childbirth, Implied/Referenced Death in Childbirth, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 05:19:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10610073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flantastic/pseuds/Flantastic
Summary: It’s been a hectic time for alpha James Bond since returning home and finding out that his omega Q is expecting twins.  On leave from field work, James has spent his days trying to make up for lost time by being as close to his mate as possible and learning all he can about the intricacies of giving birth.  Unfortunately all his training hasn’t quite prepared him for things not going quite according to plan…





	

 

 

 

Sodding Indian summers.

Of all the times for it to happen, _of course_ London was going to be gripped by an unseasonably warm October when Q was almost eight months pregnant.  As James ran around Hyde Park he reflected on the recent turn of events.  James still had a hollow feeling of loss when he thought about missing most of his mate’s pregnancy.  Once he’d calmed down, the day after he got home, and they’d talked over what Q had done James had to admit that he’d made the right choice.  It still hurt though and it rankled his alpha nature that his omega had been left to cope without his protection and support.  Ever since that conversation James had been determined to make it up to Q but even he had to admit that he had a tendency to go overboard.  That very morning for instance he’d been unable to accept that his mate didn’t want any breakfast when he'd offered and he’d ended up making it for Q three times (Porridge?  Made Q feel nauseous. Toast?  Too dry. Fruit salad?  Too acidic...).  Eventually Q had ordered him to put on his running gear, fuck off out of the house and get rid of some of his excess nervous energy.

He glanced at his watch and saw that he’d only been running for forty-five minutes.  His runs usually took twice that amount of time but he was already feeling anxious about leaving Q for so long.  Abruptly changing his plan to do another lap of the park, he ran back home.

Opening the front door to their home he was greeted by the smell of frying bacon and the aroma of fresh coffee.  Bemused, he wandered into the kitchen.  Q was standing facing the cooker, frying off some mushrooms.  Bond slipped up behind him and slid his hands around Q until he was lightly supporting his huge belly.  He kissed the side of his neck and nuzzled into him.

“Hello my darling boy.  Are you OK?”

Q nodded as he shifted and leaned back into him.

“Hello sweetheart.  Yes thanks.  I was aching like fuck lying in bed so I thought I’d get up and walk around for a bit.  I figured you’d be back early so I made you some breakfast.”

“Do you fancy some now?”  James asked, resting his chin on Q’s shoulder.

“I think so…” Q didn’t sound sure.  “When you asked earlier I just wasn’t hungry so soon after waking up.  I thought if I made you food I might feel peckish.”

“You made me breakfast so you could steal it off me…  You’re so sweet.”

Q elbowed him in the ribs and they both laughed.  James sat at the kitchen table while Q finished what he was doing and then passed him a full English breakfast complete with bacon, sausages, fried eggs, mushrooms, baked beans and toast.  He brought James his coffee and then made himself a cup of decaffeinated tea before waddling over to sit next to him.  James watched him as he ate, pausing to reach out and hold his chair steady for him as he slowly sat down.

“How are you feeling now?”

Q looked exhausted.  His normally luxuriant hair was lank and greasy-looking and he had dark patches under his eyes.  He was dressed in just his underpants with one of James’s old t-shirts but he looked boiling hot.

“Uncomfortable.  My hips are aching as per usual but my lower back has decided to join in.  I didn’t get much sleep last night, the twins have taken to playing football with my kidneys every time I move and I’m sweating my arse off constantly.  Why is it so frigging hot all of a sudden?”

James chuckled as Q stole a piece of bacon off his plate.

“Sod’s law, my lovely.  How about you join me in a cool shower after we’ve eaten this?”

Q nodded and sipped at his tea as he watched James finish his breakfast, stealing a small piece of toast to go with his bacon.  When they’d both finished James cleared away the things off the table, put the dishes in the sink and then helped Q to stand.  They walked up the stairs slowly, Q leading, and James could see the way he was struggling to move.

“Have you taken any paracetamol this morning?”

“No.  It doesn’t seem to help much.”  Q paused a couple of steps from the top of the staircase. “Jesus, my back.”  James was filled with an overwhelming desire to just carry Q the rest of the way but he resisted the urge.  Instead he just rested a hand on his flank and waited.  After a minute Q carried on.  They made it to the bathroom and James helped Q to pull off his t-shirt.

“Shower or bath baby?”

“Shower.  If I sit in the tub I’m not sure you’ll be able to get me back out!”

James laughed and pulled down Q’s underpants with a flourish.

“Come on then, I’m going to scrub the shit out of your back.  If you’re not boneless by the time I’m done, you can have your money back.”

He made short work of stripping off his running gear as Q tiredly shuffled across the room to get in the shower.  By the time James was naked, Q was standing under a torrent of lukewarm water.  James slipped in behind him and pressed up against him.  While James was away Q had installed a couple of hand grips in the shower and he held onto them now as James began to stroke his sides.  He tilted his head back until it rested on James’s shoulder.  James obediently nuzzled into him and mouthed at Q’s neck where his claim bite had been.  Q shivered.

“Fucking hell James,” he sighed. “How can you…?  The things you do to me.”  James made an enquiring sound deep in his throat and in response Q grabbed his wrist and guided his hand lower.  He was hard.  “I’m so full of pups, everything aches and I feel about as attractive as the back end of a bus and yet you touch me for two seconds and suddenly I’m as horny as fuck.”  James chuckled and began to stroke him.  Q immediately stilled his hand.  “Jesus Christ James, don’t do that in here, if you make me come you’ll be picking me up off the floor…”

“I hear that orgasms in late pregnancy are good for you.”  He murmured, not releasing his gentle grip.

“You just made that up!”

“I didn’t… I don’t think I did anyway.  I’m sure I read it somewhere…” He gave Q one last stroke and then released him to grab the shower gel and flannel.  Q groaned as James moved back far enough to give himself room to start vigorously soaping up his back.  He washed every inch of his mate and then quickly lathered up himself.   Q stumbled a little as James turned him around and ducked to kiss him under the spray.  They stood with their arms wrapped around each other, kissing slowly until all the soap had been washed away.  Eventually James pulled away and turned off the water.

“Come back to bed with me, darling boy.”

He helped Q to dry off and then they slowly made their way to the bedroom.  Q sighed as he laid down and then coyly parted his legs.

“What were you saying about orgasms?”

 

~00Q~

 

After a few hours of mutual masturbation and dozing Q got out of bed again.

James watched as he slowly dressed in yet another of James’s t-shirts, a tatty old pair of comfortable underpants and a pair of long elasticated shorts.

“What would you like to do today?”  James asked him as he watched Q retrieve a pair of socks from their underwear drawer.

“Give birth.” Q grumbled as he flopped down to sit on the edge of the bed.  James smiled.  Poor Q.  He really was fed up.  Q seemed to rethink the question for a moment and then asked if James would mind taking him out for a walk.

“I feel so achy today I think the exercise will do me good.”

James climbed out of bed.  He took the socks off Q and then dropped to his knees to slip them onto his mate’s feet before putting his trainers on him.  Q rested his hand on James’s shoulder and when James looked up he smiled.  His hair was curling crazily from lying in bed with damp hair and he still looked worn out but James didn’t think he’d ever looked so beautiful.  His breath caught and he couldn’t help but push up onto his knees to claim a tender kiss.

“I love you.”  He stated simply when they broke away.  “Do I tell you that enough?  I don’t feel like I do.”

Q chuckled and James was delighted to see his cheeks pink up.

“You do.  You tell me all the time.  I love you too darling.”

He snatched one last kiss and grinned as he ducked to tie Q laces.  He felt a swell of happiness.  James was a quick learner, highly adaptable to quickly changing circumstances.  It was part of what made him such a successful agent but the weeks since he’d returned to find Q pregnant had felt like a rollercoaster.  Happiness, self-doubt, fear and elation warred inside him constantly.  He was going to be a _father_ and the fact that it was Q, his funny, beautiful, clever young mate who was carrying his pups made his head swim and his heart feel like it was going to burst with pride.  He finished what he was doing and placed a kiss on Q’s swollen belly before standing up and putting his hands out to him.

“Come on then sweetheart.  Let’s get you out walking.”

James quickly put some clothes on and then led Q down the stairs.  Q seemed to find descending them easier than climbing them but James still hovered, ready to catch him if he stumbled.  Q went straight to the downstairs toilet to pee and James used the time to grab a cold bottle of water from the fridge.  Once they were both ready they set off, James carefully overseeing Q as he waddled down the six steps from their front door to the pavement below. Once on the level Q slipped his hand into James’s and they began to stroll.

The park where James had been running was normally a five minute walk from the house.  At Q’s very pregnant pace it took them ten.  He led James to a bench in a sunny spot and sat down awkwardly.  James sat next to him and slung his arm around his shoulders, passing Q the bottle which he sipped from.  The park was quiet.  At weekends it would have been full of children and joggers enjoying the lawns and pathways.  Now it was empty apart from a couple of dog walkers and a couple strolling, pushing a pram.  James watched them.  That would be Q and him soon…

“I want to tell you something.”  Q words were quiet and sounded almost tearful.  He paused, staring at the bottle in his hands.  “I love you.”

James kissed his temple.

“You didn’t have to bring me to the park to tell me that darling.”

“No.  Please listen.”  Q sounded a little upset so James squeezed his shoulder lightly and placed his other hand on top of his large belly to encourage him.  “I know I’m not a normal omega.  I’m taller than most and I don’t seem to have that naturally submissive nature that we’re supposed to have.”  James tried not to laugh.  That was the understatement of the century.  “What I mean is, I never thought I’d ever find an alpha who would love me for who I was rather than what I was.”  Q placed his hand over James’s.  “I never thought I could ever have any of this…”

“Me neither.”  James admitted, flexing his fingers.  “I would dream of it but never really thought it would happen.  And I don’t think I ever dreamed I could be as happy with someone as I am with you.  I still can’t quite believe I was so lucky as to fall in love with my best friend.”  Q nodded and went to speak but his breath hitched so James kissed him, peppering the side of Q’s mouth until he turned his head and kissed him back.  By the time they broke away Q was crying.  He tucked his head into the side of James’s neck and a sob escaped him.  “Hey, come on darling.  What brought this on?”

“I just… I just wanted you to know… how much you mean to me.  Now.  While it’s still just the two of us…”

A feeling of uneasiness crept over James.

“What do you mean ‘ _while it’s still just the two of us’_?”

“The pain in my lower back.  It’s been getting worse for the last couple of hours…  I think I might be going into labour…”

“Jesus Christ!”  James leapt to his feet, panic rising.  “Well why the fuck did we come out here?  You need to be in bed!  I need to call an ambulance to get you back home!”  He pulled out his mobile phone and tried to punch in the passcode to open it but his fingers misdialed.

“James.   _James!_  Calm down.”  Q stood up and closed his hands over the phone, pulling it, and James’s hands to his chest.  “I’m not going to suddenly drop them here.  I only realised that the aches were becoming more regular as we walked over here.  We still have plenty of time.  Let’s walk home.  You can call Julie on the way but no cavalry just yet, eh?”

James nodded and laughed.  It came out as a nervous high-pitched yelp.  Q was going to have the pups.  He resisted the urge to scoop up his mate and just run home with him.  No.  They would walk home instead and everything was going to be fine.  They were going to be fine.  Q would be fine.  The pups would be fine…

“James?”  His focus snapped back to Q who was smiling at him now.  “Please don’t freak out on me.”

“What?  Right.  Yes.  No freak out.  OK.”

Q sighed and took the phone off him.  He quickly typed in the passcode and opened the address book.  He selected the number of their midwife.  He handed it back to James.

“Tell Julie what’s happened as we walk.”

Glad to be given something to do James lifted the phone to his ear.  Julie had been assigned to them as a midwife by MI6.  She had full security clearance but more importantly both James and Q really liked her.  As he listened to the phone ring Q slipped his hand into his and they began to walk.  The phone went to voicemail.  Angrily James hung up.

“She’s not answering.  Why isn’t she answering?”  James barked, irritation suddenly overwhelming him.

“Dial again and leave her a message darling.”  Q responded soothingly.

James did as he was told.  This time when the answering service kicked in his spoke.

“This is James Bond.  Thomas has gone into labour.  We need you here.”  He snapped and then rang off.  “I can’t believe she’s not answering.”  He grumbled, grabbing Q’s hand more firmly and trying to make him walk quicker.  They needed to get back to the house as soon as possible.  Q needed to be somewhere safe.  Somewhere easily defendable where he could protect him and their pups.  His chain of thought was interrupted once again by Q.  This time he stopped walking. “What?  Why have you stopped?  We need to get you home right away.”

“Calm _down_.”  Q said firmly in a tone that James would have recognised anywhere.  It was Q’s ‘don’t fuck with the quartermaster’ tone.  James slumped.

“I’m panicking again aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are.”

“You’re not going to have the pups right this minute are you?”

“Not this exact minute, no.”

“I’m letting my alpha nature take over, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are.”

He took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry.”  As they started to walk again the phone rang and he answered it immediately.  “Julie?”

“ _Commander Bond.  How’s Thomas?”_

“He’s fine.  The pups are coming.”

“ _How exciting.  They’re a little earlier than we anticipated but that’s not uncommon for twins.  May I speak with him please?”_

James passed over the phone and Q said hello.  There was a pause before he started to speak.

“They are…  No, not yet…  About every twenty minutes or so…  No, I haven’t.  Oh God, the hormones! Yes, they have rather, I’ve been a bit tearful already!”  He laughed.  “Oh.  Oh no.  He’s being an absolute arse.  Full-on Alpha mode.  I knew I should have waited until we got home before I told him…  Oh, OK…. Yes, we’ll see you later.”  He hung up and handed James his phone back.  “She wanted to know if I was still able to think straight.  Bit of a daft question.  If the birthing hormones had kicked in properly I wouldn’t have been having that conversation with her!  She thinks we might have a couple of hours yet.  She’s with another patient at the moment.  Wants to know when my contractions are ten minutes apart.”  James nodded.  He’d heard Q say they were currently every twenty minutes or so.  They had plenty of time to get home and get settled.

In much the same way that omegas could become non-verbal during heats the same was true during birth.  Omegas became single minded upon giving birth, instinctive.  Similarly alphas became supremely territorial, defending their mates mindlessly.  James’s previous panicking had been a knee jerk reaction to the news that the pups were coming.  When Q went into labour properly the pheromones he would give off had the potential to make James aggressively defensive.

That was the reason that most omegas with alpha mates chose to give birth at home if they could.  The theory was that familiar surroundings calmed the alpha and allowed them to stay with their mate during the birth.  Midwives like Julie had a potentially dangerous job.  Trying to care for a birthing omega in the presence of their alpha wasn’t always easy but Julie had done her best to spend time with James over the past few weeks, getting him used to her being in their house.  Hopefully he’d be able to recognise her as a friend once the pups started to come.

Julie had taken the time she spent with James to talk with him and reassure him that everything would be fine.  Q hadn't attended any of his later scans as he'd found it too distressing, even after James had returned home, but she hadn't seemed overly concerned which had helped to ease James’s worries. Omegas had been getting pregnant for centuries without having scans, she'd said, and Q had been happy to let Julie examine him in all other respects.  She might have been more concerned if he’d have been expecting a larger litter but with twins the risks were low. As the number of pups increased so too did the chances of one of them being a runt.  Runt syndrome affected the smallest pup most dangerously in the first hour of their lives, and the mortality rate was as high as fifty percent in some countries.  Luckily, Q being a man worked in their favour.  Because male omegas tended to be slight, they very rarely had more than two pups at a time.   James had been thankful for that when he’d learned that if Q had been expecting three or four pups he would have had to give birth in a hospital and that James would most likely have been kept away from him while he was in labour.  James couldn’t imagine not being with him.

They got back to the house and James hovered as Q slowly climbed the steps to their front door.  Once in the hallway Q paused.

“OK darling?”

Q nodded but looked anything but.

“Pain in my back again.” He gritted out.  “Give it a minute.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Cup of tea?”

James laughed.

“You and your bloody tea.  Go in the lounge and get settled, I’ll bring one in.”  He set off down the hallway but stopped when he heard a yelp.  He turned back to see Q leaning heavily on the door frame.  “Tom?  Shit Tom!”  He rushed back to him and tried to see what had happened.  “What’s the matter?”

“Oh fuck it. I think my waters have broken.”  James put his hands out to support Q and then saw the evidence.  The seat of his shorts and his legs were wet and he was standing in a small puddle.  “I need to nest.” He mumbled, pulling at the waistband of his shorts.  “I need to get ready.”  

“Do you want me to help you upstairs?”  James asked but Q just shook his head.  They had spent time preparing and there was a large nest of blankets and pillows in the spare bedroom upstairs, the room that they had got ready for the twins but there was another smaller nest in the lounge that they’d been using when Q’s back was too sore for their firm chesterfield settee.  After James tenderly helped Q out of his sodden clothing he went straight to the little nest.  He gratefully sank to his knees and leaned forward to rearrange the pillows.

“I need more.  It needs to be bigger.”

“Two minutes darling.”

James ran out of the room and pelted up the stairs.  He went straight to the spare room and grabbed as much of the nest there as he could.  He ran back down, almost falling over a trailing blanket and skidded on the wet hardwood floor as he entered the room.  He stopped as he entered, captivated by what he saw.  Q had discarded his t-shirt and was crawling naked over the nest.  His belly hung under him and as James approached he looked up at him and smiled, a dopey serene look on his face.  James knelt beside him and laughed quietly as Q immediately started to rearrange the bedding he’d brought.  Once everything was to his liking he turned to James and started to pull on the polo shirt he was wearing, trying to strip him.  James let him tug it off and then allowed Q to pull off his trousers and underwear.  The birthing instinct affected omegas in different ways.  James guessed that in Q’s case he wanted to feel James as closely as possible.  Clothes were evidently not an option.  He allowed Q to tug him down until he was lying on his side so Q could curl up in his arms.  Once Q had settled, James kissed his forehead.

“OK now?”

Q nodded.

“I feel…  feels more urgent now.  I…”  He winced.  “The aches… they feel more like contractions now.”

“How far apart now?”

Q shook his head.

“Don’t know.”

James kissed him again and glanced at his watch.

“We’ll just wait for the next ones then.”

Q nodded again and lay his head down on James’s arm.

“OK.  OK, we’ll do that.”

They lay quietly, and James stroked his hand over Q’s side as they waited for the next contraction.  James could hear the noise of the traffic out on the street and the murmur of voices from passers-by but all was quiet between them.  When Q tensed up with another contraction, James felt the muscles tighten under his hand.  He rubbed them soothingly and checked the time.  Q relaxed again, almost seeming to doze off before he suddenly tensed again, much sooner than James expected.   Eight minutes.  Fuck.  How had that happened?  He grabbed his phone and sat up.

“James?”

“I need to phone Julie sweetheart.”

James thought the phone was going to voicemail again but Julie picked up at the last moment.

_“Thomas?”_

“It’s James.”

_“How is he?”_

“He’s just had two contractions eight minutes apart.”

_“Wow. He is coming along quick.  Right, listen to me.  I’m in Wembley at the moment.  I’m with a lady who has just had her pup but with the best will in the world, it will be another hour before I can get to you.”_

“Shit.”  James’s hands began to shake.

_“Listen to me James.  We’ve been through this haven’t we?  You know that even if I was there I wouldn’t be getting close to Q, you alphas are way too protective for that, so this is largely down to Q with your support.  Stay with him.  Lots of contact.  Instinct should take over and he’ll be fine.  If anything worries you, if there’s too much blood or if anything feels wrong call an ambulance.  The chances are though that I’ll be with you before any of the good stuff happens.  One final thing, and please remember this James; I have a key to your house.  Please don’t go all defensive and attack me when I let myself in.”_

James huffed out a laugh.

“I’ll try to remember.”

“ _I’ll be there as soon as I can but relax,”_ She said, _“Your pups are coming.  Enjoy it if you can.”_

James hung up and tossed the phone to one side.

“What did she say?”  Q asked.

James smiled and kissed him.

“She said everything's going to be fine.”

 

~00Q~

 

The next hour was one of the strangest and most exhilarating of James’s life.  He had got used to Q’s reactions to his heats, losing his higher cognitive functions as his desperate instinctive need for knotting kicked in but labour was a completely different kettle of fish.  He was restless, one minute lying still, the next getting up to reorganise the nest, the next shivering as a contraction struck him again.  He stopped using sentences, muttering single words randomly as he tried to get comfortable.

James felt the changes too.  As Q’s pheromones changed as the actual births became closer the soothing sounds of the cars passing by seemed to morph into potential threats.  People’s voices sounded like plotting.  The smell of his birthing mate was driving him crazy with the urge to protect and guard and it was all he could do not to run to the gun safe in Q’s workshop and arm himself.

In the midst of it all, in between their respective moments of panic and anxiety and unease there were brief moments of utter bliss.  Of Q submitting to James, baring his neck and allowing James to bite his claim mark, showing him in the most instinctive way possible that he and his pups belonged to him.  Of James running his hands all over Q, massaging, soothing, caressing.  Dropping his hand between Q’s legs to cup his genitals and press his fingers into his arse, stretching and stroking to encourage it to relax and allow their children to be born.  Q had whimpered the first time James did it and he wondered if he’d hurt him before he pushed back onto his hand and sighed.  He’d felt slick and he was getting slicker, a sure sign that their pups were imminent.

The afternoon sun had warmed the room and they were both sweating by the time Q cried out sharply and tried to get up onto his knees.  James helped him up and knelt too, facing him with his knees between Q’s spread legs, wrapping his arms under Q’s to support him.  He remembered what to do from the lessons they’d had from Julie and when the next contraction came he raised up slightly, pulling Q further up onto his knees and stretching his back out.

“I think it might be time baby.” James said quietly, kissing the side of his neck. “Time to push.”

Q shivered and wrapped his arms around James’s neck, clinging to him.

“Ja…s…”

It was barely his name but James responded by smoothing his hands down Q’s sides.  His muscles felt tense and James couldn’t imagine how painful everything must have been for Q.

“Push darling.  Push for me.”

Q strained and shivered for several seconds before he slumped, panting.

“Good boy,” James soothed.  “Clever boy.”  He ran a hand up into the back of his hair as he eased them down again.  “Rest for a moment.  Soon be over.”  His kissed Q’s shoulder and nuzzled his claim bite.  Julie had explained to them that this would be the worst part, the first pup.  The second should come much easier…

Q tensed again so James lifted him once more to ride out the contraction.  This time it seemed to hurt Q more and he shrieked as he tried to push.  James abruptly wondered if he should have got Q to a hospital after all.  What if something went wrong?  What if one of them was a runt after all?  What if he lost one of the pups? Both of them?  What if James lost _Q?_

He was distracted from his train of thought when he suddenly saw movement out of the corner of his eye.  He snarled viciously, instantly ready to let go of Q and attack the invader that would dare to try to take him away from James.

“It’s me James!  It’s me.  I’m not coming close okay?  Q is _your_ mate.  He’s your mate.”  He blinked and realised that the person standing in the doorway was Julie.  She had her hands held out in a placating gesture.  “It’s me.  I had a key remember?  I’m here to help.”

James growled and shook his head.  He pulled Q into a rough hug and buried a hand in his hair to cradle his head fiercely.

“No.  You can’t.  He’s mine.  Mine!”

She smiled at that and slowly put  her bag down by the door and then sat down beside it, leaning herself up against the wall.

“I can see that.  I don’t want your mate James.  He’s having your pups.”  James nodded and burrowed his face into the side of Q’s neck again, not once taking his eyes off her.  Yes, she was right.  Q was his.  The pups were his.  “It looks as though he’s pretty far along and trying to push already.  Do you know how far he’s dilated?”

The question surprised him a little.  James’s anger and protectiveness receded a little as he shook his head. He hadn't considered it.

“You should check.”

James hesitated and then reached down under Q.  Q shifted as James slipped his fingers into him.  It felt unlike it ever had before.  Wide, stretched open.  He gently parted his fingers, trying to gauge it and then withdrew his hand to show Julie.

“Good.”  She smiled.  “That’s very good.  Big push next time.”

James nodded and wrapped his arm back around Q.  His mate whined quietly in his ear and then began to struggle as another contraction hit.  James lifted them up again and Q screamed as he started to bear down.  James was vaguely aware that Julie was calling out encouragement but all of his focus was on Q.

“That’s it…” He muttered. “Come on sweetheart… you can do it…”

With a heart-wrenching sob Q slumped and James relaxed again.  His mate was trembling now.  James smoothed his hands down over his back and kissed his shoulder.  Barely thirty seconds later he tensed up again.  James hardly noticed the way he sunk his nails into James’s shoulders as he threw his head back and howled as he bore down again.  When it was over James heard Julie say.

“The head’s out.”

With a trembling hand James reached in under Q again and gasped as he felt their pup’s head for the first time.  Q made as if he wanted to slump back down and whined when James stopped him.  Instead James grabbed his wrist and gently guided his hand down.

“Feel.  That’s our pup.”

Q jumped a little when his fingers brushed over their pup’s head. He looked almost surprised.

“ _Pup_.”  He whispered.

James laughed and kissed his cheek.

“Pup.” He agreed.

As James watched Q’s face screwed up in pain again so he gathered him up for the final push.  He struggled a little, almost fighting James as he battled to expel their infant.  He panted for a moment before tensing, crying out as their pup disengaged with a final slither.  James set them both back down on their knees and then watched as Q picked up their wriggling, slightly blue child from between his spread thighs.  As he gathered it to his chest James looked to see what they had.

“A boy.  We have a son.”  He whispered, awestruck.

“Rory.”  Q said.

Rory.  James hadn’t heard Q mention ‘Rory’ in all their discussions about potential pup names but it seemed to fit.

“Rory.”  He said.  “I like it.”

Q cradled their pup for a minute before carefully laying him onto the nest besides them.  Seeing what was about to happen, James helped him up onto his knees again.  Soon the next contraction hit and he began pushing again.  James smiled.  He’d hoped that the second pup would be easier and it was.  Just four minutes later, he was born.

James watched with stunned amazement as Q picked up their second child.  Q ran a shaking finger over the pup’s lips.

“What’s this one called?”  James asked gently.

Q looked up at James and then down at Rory who was still wriggling next to them.

“Ralph?”

Ralph was Q’s father’s name.

“Ralph is perfect.”

Q went to lie down with his pups but Julie called out from across the room.

“James, don’t let him settle just yet.  Give him another minute or two on his knees so the placenta has gravity to help it out.”

James nodded and helped Q to lay their pup down next to his twin.  Rory and Ralph Bond.  James grinned, pleased beyond measure at the thought of it.  Two boys. His _sons_. He wrapped his arms around Q one more time but loosely.  There was no need for him to support him anymore.  He kissed his cheek, bursting with happiness.

“I love you.  I love you so fucking much.  You clever thing, giving birth to my pups like that.”

Q smiled, looking sleepy after his ordeal.  He rested his head on James’s shoulder.  After a minute Julie spoke again.

“James.  I don’t want to alarm you but the afterbirth really should have come out by now.  May I come over there to examine him please?”

James looked down at Q who was just beginning to shift and whine a little.

“Sweetheart?”

Q frowned and suddenly tensed up, shivering.

“It’s happening… again…”

“It can’t be.”  James muttered.  He looked up at Julie.  “What’s going on?  Is he alright?  Q?”

Julie slowly got up onto her knees.

“Let me?  Please?”

James nodded.  Now Q had actually given birth to the twins the feelings he’d had of crazy overprotection were beginning to wane.  Either that or he’d just got used to having her in the room.

“Help him.”

Q cried out and seemed to be struggling to raise himself up onto his knees again so James lifted him up, hugging him close as he had before.  Julie crawled closer, keeping herself low to the ground and non-threatening.  She moved in behind Q and gently started to examine him.  After a moment she looked up, a slightly worried smile on her face.

“You’re not going to believe this.  There’s another one coming.  The early scans must not have picked up that there were three.”

“Another…” James was stunned.  This couldn’t be happening.  Another pup?  He sobbed out a half-crazy laugh and kissed Q again.

“Did you hear that darling?  You’re having another pup.”

Q whimpered and then shouted as another contraction gripped him.  He tensed, pushing as hard as he could.  When the contraction abated he slumped.

“Can’t…”

James pushed their cheeks together.

“Yes you can.  Of course you can.  I’m here with you.  I love you.  God, you’re so brave.”

There were two more rounds of contractions before the final push.  By the time their third pup emerged Q was worn out, barely able to reach down to pick up it up.  He cradled it and then whispered.

“Girl.”

James was overwhelmed.  He had a daughter.  He laughed and kissed Q, holding him while Julie busied herself behind him.  The afterbirth appeared within moments this time and she quickly took it away.  For a moment they were left in the room alone.  Their two boys beside them, their daughter in Q’s arms.  James didn’t have a clue what he should be doing so he stayed where he was, gently supporting Q.  After a moment he realised Q was frowning.

“What’s the matter darling?”

“So still…”  James looked down and with a feeling of dread he realised that while Rory and Ralph were wriggling and clutching at each other their daughter was barely moving.  “James?”  James shook his head.   He watched with a feeling of dread as Q cradled her to his chest.  “Please no… nononononoooo!”

“Oh no.  Don't be a runt… don't be that.”  James said sadly, shaking his head as he grabbed a soft blanket to wrap around their little girl . “Come on little darling… we don’t even have a name for you yet… don’t…”  He swallowed hard.  “We don’t  want you to leave us…”  James was aware that Julie had come back into the room but he couldn’t take his eyes off Q.  He was looking up at him and James’s heart felt like it was breaking when he saw the look of grief on his face.  He started to cry and James noticed Julie quietly reaching for her phone. She spoke quickly and quietly but he made out two words clearly - _crash team_ \- and he realised with a growing sadness that if they were needed… if their daughter needed them… then they wouldn’t get to her in time.  He shook his head, hating the very idea of it.

“I’m sorry James, Thomas.” Julie said quietly. “It looks like she’s a runt.  This isn’t uncommon where there's more than two pups.  Why don’t I take her to examine her and try to…”

“No.”  Q’s voice was wrecked. “Don’t take her away.”

“Thomas…”

“He’s right.” James said gently. He knew from his long nights of reading about birth complications that if his daughter wasn’t destined to survive then there wasn't a lot anyone could do to help her.  Crash team on it's way or not, the fate of his little girl was largely in her own hands and if she wasn’t going to make it he couldn't bear to see his mate miss spending a single moment with her. “Could you look after the boys for us for a little while?  Just give us some time alone with her.”

“Of course.  I’ll bathe them and dress them for you.  Call me if you need me.”

She grabbed the blanket that the boys were lying on and gathered them up with practised ease.  Once they’d been moved James carefully laid Q down.  They settled their daughter in his arms against his chest and then James laid on the other side of her and put his arms around them both, covering them all with a blanket.  They lay without speaking as James listened to the sound of their pup’s gasping breaths and his mate’s quiet tears.  Eventually Q spoke quietly.

“My fault.”

“No.  Julie was right.  We knew about this.  The bigger the litter the larger the chance that one might…”  He hesitated, unwilling to say the word ‘die’.  Instead he said; “…struggle.”

“I should...” Q faltered and it looked as if he was concentrating fiercely through the lingering birth hormones to speak.  He frowned and tried again, speaking slowly, “I should have told you… gone to scans…  I’m so sorry… please… don’t hate me...”

James kissed Q’s forehead gently and then watched his tiny daughter on his mate’s chest.  She was clinging to life and he laid his hand on her back.  She was so small.  He could feel her heart beating rapidly and, if anything, it seemed to him that it was brave and determined.

“I could never hate you darling boy.  And don’t you dare blame yourself for this.”  He said sadly.  “You didn’t do anything wrong.  Never think that”

“I’ve messed this all up haven’t I?”  Q said, starting to cry harder.

“No.  Tom, no.” James said again.  “You’ve given me a family.  We _are_ a family and you have no idea how much I love you right now.  There’s nothing we can’t do.  Nothing we can’t get through.”  James watched as the little pup suddenly flung out an arm and flexing her fingers.  She wasn’t going without a fight, he thought proudly.  “We need to give her a name.  What do you think?”

Q sniffed and shrugged.

“I don’t know.  Maybe you should name her.  I named the boys.” He paused, looking a little confused.  “Didn’t I?”

James smiled affectionately at Q’s befuddlement, despite everything.  The birth hormones really had done a number on him.

“You did.  Alright then.”  He looked down at their pup.  He wondered if it was his imagination but her heartbeat seemed to be evening out.  He gazed at her face and smiled as he said; “Evin.”

“Evin?”

“It’s an old English name.  It means ‘fighter’.”

Q smiled.

“Evin Bond.  Okay.”  He nodded.

“Okay?”  James smiled and kissed Q, pleased that the name was met with approval.  There was a small sound from between them and they both looked down.  Evin was waving both arms now and seemed to be pursing her lips.

“Is she blowing us kisses?” Q asked with a nervous little laugh.

“I think she might want to suckle…” James said gently.  Q’s nipples had been leaking slightly ever since his labour had started properly so James pushed himself up onto one elbow and watched as Q brought Evin to his nipple.  After a couple of false starts she latched on and began to feed.  James barked out a laugh and watched, fascinated.  Surely this was a good sign, wasn’t it?  He looked up to see that Q was crying again but with a look of sheer joy on his face this time.  James blinked hard as his vision doubled with his own tears.  A moment later Julie came back in with their sons. They were clean and each wore a tiny nappy.  When she came over and saw Evin feeding she looked as if she thought she might start to cry along with them.  She carefully deposited the boys between James and Q and then reached over to stroke her finely curling hair.

“Oh darling little girl…” She smiled. “I thought she was getting ready to leave us.”

“Not yet.”  James said, proudly watching his daughter take her first feed.  “Not just yet.”

 

~00Q~

 

Later that evening they laid on their bed with all three pups sleeping contentedly between them.  After Evin had fed Julie examined her and declared her fit.  Runt Syndrome could be fatal but the risks reduced substantially with every passing hour.  By the time Julie was getting ready to leave, Evin was sleeping happily with her brothers, apparently none the worse for her shaky start in life.  Before Julie went James asked her to watch their pups while he carried Q upstairs and shared a shower with him again.  Q was exhausted and barely able to stand but he’d managed to stay upright long enough for James to wash him before tumbling into bed.  Julie and James had then brought the pups upstairs to lie with them for a while before she finally left for the night.

James had left the hall light on and the bedroom door open so he could watch Q and their pups as they slept.  He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to sleep again, unable to take his eyes off his family. He was feeling tired though and had already brought the cot into their room from the nursery.  He would settle the pups in there before falling asleep himself.  Not for a minute or two though.  He wanted to watch them for a little while longer.  Them and their papa.  He reached out to stroke Q’s cheek.  His brilliant, beautiful mate who never ceased to surprise him.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
